Cascade Digital Knowledge to Your MDAs, Kogi HOS Charges Top Officials as 2-Day Training Ends

By James Sani

Permanent Secretaries and Directors of Administration in the Kogi State Civil Service have been charged to immediately cascade the knowledge gained from the two-day Digital Transformation Training to staff in their respective Ministries, Departments and Agencies (MDAs).

The charge was given on Tuesday in Lokoja by the Head of Service, Hajia Falilat Y. Musa, Esq., at the closing ceremony of the training held at the Conference Hall of the State Secretariat Complex. She was represented by the Permanent Secretary, Administration and Public Service, Dr. Aisha M. Atojoko.

The training, organised by the Kogi State Government in partnership with Tethered Atoms Ltd, was held under the theme: “From Understanding Digital Transformation to Using the Tools Built for You.”

Dr. Atojoko told participants that they were the drivers of the state’s digital transformation agenda and must ensure that the reforms were effectively cascaded to the lowest cadre of the civil service.

“You are the leaders in your MDAs. The success of this digital transformation depends largely on your ability to step down what you have learned here to your directors, desk officers, and all staff,” she said.

“We cannot afford to have digital compliance at the top and analogue practice at the bottom.”

She emphasised that the state government, under the leadership of Governor Ahmed Usman Ododo, was committed to building a paperless and technology-driven public service where official communication, records management and service delivery would increasingly be conducted electronically.

According to her, digital tools already deployed by the state government, including the Smart Kogi App, KogiConnect, KogiVault, Head of Service Website and Career Portal, as well as the Training and Staff Improvement Management System, were designed to make government business faster, more transparent and accountable.

The Permanent Secretary further reminded participants that digital compliance would now be linked to career progression in the civil service.

“Passing prescribed digital examinations will be part of the requirements for promotion going forward. This is the new direction, and there is no going back,” she stated.

Dr. Atojoko commended Governor Ododo for approving the training programme, while appreciating Tethered Atoms Ltd and the facilitators for their technical support and guidance.

She urged the participants to lead by example, embrace collaboration across MDAs and ensure that delays in one office no longer negatively affect the performance of another.

The two-day training ended with the presentation of certificates to participants and a renewed call for the full implementation and adoption of the state’s digital systems across the civil service.